Sir Francis Drake

In the heart of London, close to the London Bridge tube station, in a dock on the Thames you can admire the replica of the most famous 16th Century ship.

It is not easy to find the St. Mary Overie Dock on the South bank of the river. It is hidden in a labyrinth of old buildings and narrow streets. When finally I am able to get there, a wonderful view of a very busy tavern and the other bank of the Thames open up. This is were usually the Golden Hinde, a replica of a ship, on which in years 1577-1580 Sir Francis Drake circumnavigated the world, is berthed.

Drake, born probably in 1540 in Tavistock to a farmer’s family, was the oldest of 12 brothers. He grew up in the neighbourhood of the ships. Being a child his family moved to Kent, where his father worked as a priest for sailors. Their house was an old ship, so there is no suprise that the sea became a part of Drake's life. His first sea voyage was at the age of 10 on a small carrier. He was such a skilled pupil, that the old captain in his will, left the ship to Drake. In 1596 the captain died of a tropical illness- possibly the "yellow fever", during a not very successful expedition against the Spaniards in the Caribbean. He died onboard his flagship DEFIANCE on 28th January, and was buried at sea, near to Puerto Bello in Panama.

In 1577 Francis Drake left England leading a fleet of five ships on their way to the mouth of the Nile. The true purpose of the voyage was announced after reaching Africa: Drake wanted to sail across the Pacific Ocean and Magellan Straits to circumnavigate the world. Lord Hutton sponsored the trip, however Queen Elisabeth also gave 1000 crones for it. On the 15th November, 5 ships left Plymouth: PELICAN, ELIZABETH, MARIGOLD, SWAN and CHRISTOPHER. The ships made their way along the Spanish coast, and laded in Africa to renew the provisions of food and water. On their way to the Capo Verde they took over a Portuguese ship commanded by an experienced Navigator Nuno da Silva. Not only did Drake confiscate all his detailed maps, but also forced to lead the ships through treacherous waters.

On 5th April 1578 after 54 days of sailing, the coast of Brasilia loomed in front of them. Along its coast, another Portuguese ship, carrying wine, linen and silk, fell into Drake's hands. The trip along the South America's coast was full of storms and skirmishes with the natives. Not having enough crew to sail all the ships, Drake was forced to leave two of them. At the same time, he renamed his flagship PELICAN to GOLDEN HINDE. Hinde is an old English world for the female deer. This animal was on Lord Hutton's crest.

In September of 1578 a fleet of three ships managed to cross the treacherous waters of Magellan Straits in 14 days, just to get caught in a storm on the Pacific. They fought against terrible weather for two months unable to get away. The smallest of the ships, MARIGOLD, went down with all hands. The fleet was dispersed. ELIZABETH found herself back in the Straits, and made her way back to England. GOLDEN HIND was pushed far away to the South. When the storms ended, Drake decided to sail along the Pacific coast of South America, water of Spanish King Philip.

They first stopped for water and food on today's island of Mocha, where the natives took them for Spanish conquerors. The skirmish almost ended tragically for Drake's crew, nevertheless soon the roles changed. For the next 5 month Drake would plunder Spanish settlements, like Valparaiso, where he acquired 25 000 pesos in gold, Lima and Arica, took over Spanish ships. Seldom were there any fatalities. In Callao Drake learned, that the CACAFUEGO galleon loaded with treasures has just set off on a race to Panama. The English began the chase. It ended in a huge victory: 13 chests of silver coins, 80 pounds of gold, and 26 tons of silver was their capture.